Explore the frozen continent of Antarctica by expedition ship and kayak

THERESA STORM, For the Calgary Herald02.19.2013

The kayaking group takes to the millpond bay surrounding Port Lockroy for an afternoon paddle under sunny skies. Kayaking is one of the optional activities offered by Aurora Expeditions.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

One of Polar Pioneer’s guides and two passengers use ice axes to begin digging out six trapped elephant seal pups from a watery pit.Photo Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

Naturalist Santiago Imberti, right, and expedition staff member James Kell get deep in the pit to hoist the trapped elephant seal pups to freedom.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

Polar Pioneer’s expedition staff work hard to free this chubby elephant seal pup from a watery pit. The pup’s injured chin attests to its own struggles to get out before the expedition’s arrival.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

With five elephant seal pups freed from a watery pit on Elephant Island in the South Shetlands, Polar Pioneer guides work to rescue the last one, while expedition passengers look on.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

Beautifully sculpted blue icebergs in the Southern Ocean look like a work of art.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

Gentoo penguins hang out and nest at the British research station and museum in Port Lockroy in Antarctica.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

The tete-a-tete courtship display of gentoo penguins during mating season in Antarctica.Photo by Theresa Storm
/ Freelance

Related

Dec. 4, 2007: I step out of the zodiac and walk toward the tiny white-fenced cemetery nestled on the hillside. A glacier fed stream tumbles down beside...

ANTARCTICA — It’s a National Geographic moment. And we were part of it.

On snow-dusted Elephant Island in the Southern Ocean, just inland from the dark sands of the beach, four of Polar Pioneer’s energetic, robust crew members are waist deep in an ice-encased, watery pit, digging frantically. Six young, anxious faces peer from the hole in which they are trapped, their large black eyes, set in wrinkled, whiskered, velvety silver-grey faces, and distressed cries draw a sympathetic crowd of expeditioners.

The bulging round eyes and bleating cry of one particularly chubby southern elephant seal, who is wedged so tight it takes three of the guides, under the guidance of naturalist Santiago Imberti, some time to safely hoist and push to freedom, is heart-rending.

Free at last, his cries cease and he nestles for a moment on the snowy crust with the other releases, before they slowly begin the belly-flop crawl down to the beach, where teenage males — identifiable by their just beginning to grow elephant trunk-like proboscis’s — play fight and the rest of their infant herd lolls, sans their mothers, who have returned with the bulls to sea.

Some, like him, have lots of blubber, some less so, but all appear to still have enough weight to survive. Others, less strong, have already died, their withered, decaying carcasses dotting the beach. The juxtaposition of life and death makes the job underway more urgent; more poignant.

Survival of the fittest, Darwin would say. Maybe so, but the 21 weaned seal pups rescued that day were entrapped by an unusual late season snowstorm. When the heat of their bodies melted the snow underneath, they dropped into steep-sided holes more than a metre deep, with no way to get out. Imberti figured they had been trapped for a week to 10 days.

Although the expedition staff briefly debated the ethics of man interfering with nature here on this ice-covered mountainous island in the outer reaches of the South Shetlands off the north coast of Antarctica — and it became fodder for lively discussion back on the ship — not one could imagine leaving the babies to die.

“This is not natural,” Imberti explains. “They had no chance.”

With the blessing of expedition leader Don McFadzien, ice axes and a shovel were borrowed from the climbing group (their planned climb aborted) and the laborious excavation of the first of three pits commenced.

Along with others in the photography group — another of the three options offered on our Aurora Expeditions’ Antarctic Peninsula Voyage — I click madly, trying to capture the drama of this amazing rescue, while some other passengers assist, taking turns digging the creatures out.

The seals, once nearly extinct from hunting, are not the first beings to be rescued on Elephant Island. Twenty-two men from Shackleton’s ill-fated Endurance expedition were marooned here for four months in 1916, while Shackleton journeyed to South Georgia for help.

As one by one, the pups are freed, I am deeply touched. The emotions of all I have experienced over the last days come welling up, like a cork released from champagne.

I’m awed by the pristine icescape of Earth’s southernmost continent and the raw, tenacious nature that somehow survives here in this wild, remote place. I have seen the world almost as it was before mankind.

There among the migratory gentoo penguins, elephant seals and nesting seabirds, all of whom are unafraid of humans, I cry hot, happy tears.

It is our last landfall and, for me, No. 1 of many highlights during our 10-night expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula’s west coast.

I had no idea what to expect when I boarded the ice-strengthened Polar Pioneer on a chilly, blustery holiday Monday late November in frontier town Ushuaia, Argentina — the southernmost city in the world — with 49 intrepid adventurers, ranging in age from 20s to 70s, from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the United States and Canada, Western expedition staff and Russian crew.

“Put your expectations aside and make the most of what we have,” leader McFadzien advised, warning he never sticks to plan. “The expedition philosophy is things will change. Weather and sea ice make big calls.”

Indeed, from the get-go, weather did when the port was closed due to wind, delaying our departure by an hour.

Along with the sailing away excitement, passengers shared some trepidation as the 1,000-km-wide Drake Passage, known as the roughest sea crossing in the world, lay ahead. Seasickness was probable (turns out I was fine, but green passengers were cared for by kindly Dr. John).

Crossing the Antarctic Convergence — a borderline between the cold Antarctic and relatively warm South Atlantic waters — air and water temperatures slightly fell and a first iceberg sighting contest was on. The first was indeed exciting, though it wasn’t the stereotypical towering pyramid, but rather a huge snowy chunk drifting on the grey sea, just visible through low cloud.

At last, after a slow crossing due to weather, we arrived in Antarctica on the third day. The excitement was palpable as those of us in the kayaking group donned loads of gear, including a dry suit, the climbers geared up, and the rest piled into zodiacs to land at Hydrurga Rocks, where they were greeted by two gentoos atop an iceberg and chinstrap penguins nesting on rocky slabs free of snow.

Meanwhile, getting off the ship’s stern deck into our kayaks was an adventure in agility and balance. First was a scamper down a rope ladder into a bobbing zodiac and then, with kayaking guide Al Bakker’s help, over the gunwale into the kayak which he steadied. Next came the battle, with chilly fingers, to fasten the spray skirt. Nevertheless, three of 11 kayakers were golden year go-getters.

Once underway, our group found the rhythm that unites paddler and water. It was magical gliding through bobbing brash ice — which sounded like chinking ice in a cocktail glass as we bumped through it — and among sculpted holographic blue and white icebergs rippled with all kinds of textures.

After a brief, chilly stop to snap our first penguin photos, we rounded the islet straight into 1.5-metre waves. They tested our mettle; the only challenging conditions encountered in four days of paddling. When solo kayaker Nick became the trip’s first polar plunger (willing passengers later went for a dip), the zodiac rescue was impressively speedy.

Paddles, two or three times daily, on millpond seas with visibility divers dream of, through the mirrored reflections of snow-capped mountains and dwarfing grey glaciers, which occasionally calved with startling cracks, were simply ethereal. Hauling out on ice under a sunny, blue sky for a hot chocolate break with unperturbed Weddell seals snoozing nearby and curious penguins was an unforgettable highlight.

Other high points included our first landing on the Antarctic Continent at Portal Point; the bowing, Tete-à-Tete courtship display of mating gentoo penguins and the rock-stealing shenanigans of nest-building males; the historic museum at research station Port Lockroy, from where we stamped our passports and sent postcards home (took seven weeks to arrive); a crazy hat barbecue party on deck while anchored in an idyllic, sun splashed bay; zodiac “bronco riding”; and, for some, sleeping on the ice in near endless daylight.

Enduring friendships were the most unexpected. Never have I seen a group stay so in touch, sharing photos, videos and gifts of Blue-Ray DVDs and photographic posters.

For many, like Peter Ryan, who patiently waited 50 years for his dream, Antarctica is a trip-of-a-lifetime. For others, it changes their life.

“The trip leaves ripples in my soul that will affect forever my life going forward,” says Australian Hague Showell; adding, “I have already made some long overdue changes since my return.”

If you go to Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions

Getting there:

Fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina by commercial flight, then to Ushuaia. I had trouble with my booking with United Airlines with no apology offered. Aurora can arrange flights and provides travel planning assistance. A valid passport is necessary.

About Aurora Expeditions:

Aurora Expeditions, based in Australia, is a pioneer in adventure expedition cruising to Antarctica, the European Arctic and Australia’s Kimberley Coast.

Polar Pioneer carries 54 passengers, allowing more intimate encounters with wildlife and lessening impact on regions visited. Voyages are led by a team of expert naturalists, geologists, historians, staff and crew. Polar itineraries are flexible, innovative and subject to change due to weather conditions, currents and pack ice.

Antarctic voyages range from 10 to 20 days, November through March. Drake Passage one-way sail/fly trips are offered. Free or additional cost options (kayaking, alpine climbing, photography and overnight camping) are available on some voyages.

Aurora is committed to environmentally responsible practices. It is a founding Australian member of the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators and supports research, donates funds and allocates resources to leave places as they found them, or better. Passengers are schooled on environmental responsibilities and attend lectures highlighting wildlife and ecosystems.

As it’s necessary to fly via Argentina’s capital, most passengers spend time here. A highly recommendable local tour operator that assisted with my three-day visit is Say Hueque, which bills itself as the agency for independent travelers to Argentina and Chile. A private tour using public transportation revealed interesting history, brought the city to life and helped me understand what it is that makes Buenos Aires special and unique. I was also provided an excellent printed miniguide. SayHueque.com

Hotel Tres65 Concept downtown, like a large, affordable New York City loft apartment, was an unexpected quiet haven. tres65concept.com.ar

As tango is a classic institution here, treat yourself to the tango/dinner show at Tango Porteño tangoporteno.com.ar

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

Explore the frozen continent of Antarctica by expedition ship and kayak